page_title: Merseyside Skeptics Society
section_title: Homeopathy
hierarchical_section_title: Merseyside Skeptics Society / Activities / Homeopathy
caption_attribution_description: English: Michael Marshall introduced the 10:23 campaign and the QED conference in Manchester in February 2011. The audience then joined in with an overdose of homeopathic tablets
context_page_description: The Merseyside Skeptics Society is a nonprofit organisation that promotes scientific scepticism in Merseyside and the United Kingdom. Founded in 2009, the society has campaigned against the use of homeopathy, challenged the claims of psychics, and hosts regular events in Liverpool, podcasts, and an annual conference in Manchester, QED: Question. Explore. Discover.
  As part of their Liverpool Skeptics in the Pub events the society hosts guest speakers, who have included Simon Singh, David Nutt, and Robert Llewellyn. It also organises the awareness and protest against homeopathy campaign, 10:23.
context_section_description: In 2009, the society wrote an open letter to pharmacy chain Boots in which they denounced the sales of homeopathic products in their store. In the letter they wrote that "We trust brands such as Boots to check the facts for us ... We don't expect to find products on the shelf at our local pharmacy which do not work", calling for them to remove the "bogus therapy" from their shelves.
  The Society organised the 10:23 campaign to raise awareness of, and campaign against, homeopathy. This campaign included protests in 2010 against Boots for selling homeopathic preparations as equivalent to mainstream, scientifically-based medicine and involved mass homeopathic overdoses outside Boots stores to mock what the protesters asserted to be the lack of efficacy in homeopathic products.
  Following the overdose, Boots responded by saying "We know that many people believe in the benefits of complementary medicines and we aim to offer the products we know our customers want." 
  These protests took place in 70 cities in 30 countries around the world, including Australia and New Zealand, and resulted in no ill effects to those taking the products.
  In addition, the Society has complained about GPs who have advocated alternative medicine including homeopathy.
caption: Michael Marshall leads a homeopathic overdose during QED 2011 in Manchester.
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